


Don't Say You Love Me, I Might Not Say It Back

by LadyFrandrews



Series: Wrong Number Universe [7]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Little Fluff, M/M, Tiny bit of Angst, saying i love you for the first time
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-22
Updated: 2019-10-22
Packaged: 2020-12-28 03:50:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,138
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21130292
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyFrandrews/pseuds/LadyFrandrews
Summary: Steve doesn't have unrealistic expectations of him. In fact, he's been trying hard to find out Clint's boundaries so he won't cross a line.No one has ever done that before.





	Don't Say You Love Me, I Might Not Say It Back

* * *

"I'm, I uh, I want to ask you something but I don't, I don't want you to make a big deal of it," Steve said. 

Clint froze in the middle of stirring up the sauce on the stovetop. He took a few breaths and nodded, letting Steve know that he could carry on. 

"Do, uh, do you know what Thursday is?"

Clint tried to make himself look confused. He's not sure if it's working. _ Of course, _he knows what Thursday is. 

"Well, not spaghetti night because that's what you wanted tonight," he said. 

He doesn't know how to process this. He _ sucks _ at this whole _ trying _ to be stupid about Steve thing because he _ is _ stupid about Steve. 

"You know how, um, I think it's, uh, what time are you getting home Thursday?" Steve manages to get out. 

Clint almost drops the spoon in his hand. It was a close call. 

He still can't _ look _at Steve. 

He shrugs, "I think by 6, for sure. What's up?"

He can see that Steve's fidgety. 

"Would, would you like to have dinner with me?"

"Babe, we're having dinner together tonight. We practically have dinner together every night. Of course, I'll have dinner with you on Thursday."

"No, uh, no, not like, um, it, it's not going to be like this. Like our usual dinners."

"Are you asking me out on a date Mr. Rogers?" 

Clint _ tries _ to sound like he's not freaking out on the inside. 

"Yes. Clint, it's, I asked you to be my boyfriend a year ago, Thursday. I, I'd like to celebrate that. Celebrate _ us _."

He does drop the spoon, this time. 

See, he _ knew _ this was coming. He might be a disaster with literally everything else in his life, but _ Steve, _ Steve is _ special. _

He knows that they've been honest to god _ dating _ for a year. A whole _ year. _

He knows how much Steve _ feels _ for him. He's just, he's not sure if he's ready to say _ those _words to another person again. 

"You love me," he blurts out. 

He can hear Steve's gasp of shock. 

"You love me and it's only been a year."

"Clint, sweetheart, you, you don't have to say it. It, _ please _ , please _ don't _," Steve trails off.

Clint bends to pick up the spoon and moves to the sink to rinse it off. He finally _ looks _ at Steve and his heart flutters like it's been doing since the first time he ever _ saw _ him. His heart also _ breaks _at the look on Steve's face. 

"No! No, aw, no, my, I didn't, that's not," he tries and then just sighs deeply; "I'm, I'd like to have dinner with you. On Thursday. A date. A _ special _date."

Steve just shakes his head, "I should go."

"Why?!"

"I'm, I, I've made you uncomfortable and I don't know how to make it better. I'm sorry."

"You're sorry for loving me?" 

Clint _ hates _ how small, sad, and _ broken _his voice just sounded. 

He hates how _ much _he can read on Steve's face. 

He hates how _ open _his own is. 

He watches Steve approach slowly, as he reaches out to turn the stovetop off, and then as he takes a few steps _ back and away from _him.

"You obviously need a moment to process my feelings for you. Just, just know that I _ mean _ them. What I feel for you is more _ genuine _ than anything I've ever felt for _ anyone. _"

"_ Steve, _" Clint tries to say more but he can’t. 

"You matter to me Clint, I didn't think I _ could _feel like this again. Let me respect you and your boundaries, please. I'll, can, can I call you in an hour?"

Clint nods. 

He doesn't know _ what _to say. 

He watches as Steve gives him a watery smile before turning around and leaving. 

He doesn't realize that he's crying until he hears his door shut. 

He glances at the clock on the stove, 7:17. 

He wipes his face and doesn't know what to do. Should he save dinner? Should he go sit down? Lay down? 

The last person who spoke _ those _words to him destroyed him. 

His knees go weak and he slides down to the floor. 

He let _ him _ say those words and _ he _ ended up not meaning them. _ He _ chose to walk away and back into the arms of _ his _ ex-wife. Who cheated and chose her career over _ him _ . He never chose anything or anyone over _ him _. 

But _ Steve _ is not _ him. _

Steve is the _ best _ thing to come into his life. 

The first time he _ saw _him he felt like he had a swarm of butterflies in his stomach. He felt his heart stutter. 

Then he showed Clint how _ good _of a person he is. 

He's afraid. 

He's afraid and Steve respects that. 

Steve doesn't have unrealistic expectations of him. In fact, he's been trying hard to find out Clint's boundaries so he won't cross a line. 

No one has ever done that before. 

He manages to salvage spaghetti dinner and eats a spoonful of noodles with some butter and sauce. 

He watches the time mostly. 

It’s only been thirty minutes since Steve walked out the door.

Thirty minutes and all Clint wants to do is go out and find him and bring him back so they can eat messy food together and snuggle up on the couch as they watch whatever Disney movie Steve brought with him this time. He thinks it’s odd Clint’s never seen most of them. 

He hears his phone ring, doesn’t even look at the screen, just answers.

“Hello,” he rushes out.

“Hello Sweetheart,” Steve says.

“It’s only been thirty minutes.”

“I know. I uh, I didn’t actually leave either. I’m, can I come back in?”

Clint dropped his phone and darted towards his door and yanked it open.

“I, Steve, I, I like this. I like us. I, I,”

“I know, I know,” Steve says.

And Clint knows he means it. 

“Can, can I hear you say it?” He asks tentatively.

“Yeah?”

Clint feels his face flush but nods, “I, I might not be able to say it right now, but one day, definitely.”

The smile Steve gives him makes his knees feel like they’re going to buckle on him again.

“I love you.”

Clint can feel his face split open with a smile that is pure happiness. 

“Again,” he says.

Steve maneuvers them so they’re not having this conversation/moment in the doorway for all of Clint’s neighbors to witness. 

He pulls Clint close, wrapping his arms around him, nuzzling him a little before he pulls back just enough to look him in the eye.

“I love you.”

“Aw, eyes, no!”

Steve wipes the tears that fall and presses kisses to each of Clint’s cheeks. 

“It’s okay, they’re happy tears,” Steve says. 

Clint nods, still smiling, “Happy tears.”


End file.
